{{Table Oghamletters Straif is the Irish name of the fourteenth letter of the

Ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...

alphabet, ᚎ. Old Irish spelling variants are ''straif'', ''straiph'', ''zraif'', ''sraif'', ''sraiph'', ''sraib''. The

Bríatharogam In early Irish literature, a ''Bríatharogam'' ("word ogham", plural ''Bríatharogaim'') is a two-word kenning which explains the meanings of the names of the letters of the Ogham alphabet. Three variant lists of ''bríatharogaim'' or "word-ogham ...

kennings for the letter are: *''tressam rúamnai'' "strongest reddening" *''mórad rún'' "increase of secrets" *''saigid nél'' "seeking of clouds" The probable meaning of the name is "

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

". The first two kennings could be explained by the main use of sulphur as dye, and its alchemical significance, respectively. The third kenning could be a corruption of ''saiget nél'' "arrow of the clouds", i.e. ''sraibtine'' "

lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

". An alternative kenning has ''aire srábae'' "chief of streams", and glossators adhering to the "Tree Alphabet" base an identification with ''draigen'' " blackthorn" on this, by thinking of a "hedge on a river". The "chief of streams" kenning may be referring to sulphur by reference to the stream of brimstone, ''sruth uibhe'', mentioned in

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...

30:33. The letter's original phonetic value is uncertain, but it may have been t sor w The medieval manuscript tradition transcribes it with Latin Z.

References

*Damian McManus, ''Irish letter-names and their kennings'', Ériu 39 (1988), 127–168. Ogham letters